A Short History of "When the Levee Breaks"

On Saturday, a million citizens fled Louisiana for safer ground, after Hurricane Gustav metamorphosed into a Category 4 hurricane in a mere 24 hours. It is scheduled to slam into the U.S. almost exactly three years after Hurricane Katrina did the same, visiting the kind of disaster dystopia one usually sees in film or music, most notably in the Led Zeppelin epic “When the Levee Breaks," onto the Gulf coast.

When the levee breaks/I'll have no place to stay, moaned Robert Plant in Led Zeppelin's iteration of the increasingly popular song. Sure enough, according to the Associated Press, Louisiana authorities explain that there will be no shelter for those left behind or who choose to stay behind. It's a familiar refrain for those caught up in this recurring environmental nightmare, perhaps more familiar than you think.

That is because, like almost every Led Zeppelin tune ever created, “When the Levee Breaks" builds upon a former song. In this particular case, the Delta blues classic of the same name created by Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie. Listen to the original.

STREAM: Kansas Joy McCoy and Memphis Minnie's “When the Levee Breaks"